The IPA invites you to participate in a unique and extraordinary contest for reporters, The Eastern Partnership Journalistic Prize.

If you are a journalist from one of the countries of Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) and you feel you are devoted to the issues of democracy, human rights, the fight against abuse of power, if you think that the rapprochement with the European Union is the right path to development, and also believe in the journalistic sense of mission then announce your candidacy and take part in the competition.

Reporters Foundation in Warsaw and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland invite you to participate in the competition for outstanding journalism. The IPA became a Honorary Patron of this initiative. You can win a grand prize of 10.000 PLN (about 2.400 euro) or two awards of 5.000. PLN (about 1.200 euros). Work in any genre should be sent together with a translation into Russian or English by e-mail:  prize@fundacjareporterow.pl  or  ep.prize@gmail.com.  The deadline is 31st October 2011.

In early November, the finalists will be selected. They will be invited to the grand finale held in Poland, 24-25 November 2011. Preferred subjects include: investigative journalism, human rights and combating discrimination, democracy and civil society, the cooperation of the region with the European Union. The work must meet the criteria of journalistic material in one of the main species (press, radio, television, internet) and must be published in the public domain in any medium or after 1st January 2011.

About the organizers
 
Reporters Foundation, established in autumn 2010 by the group of some of best Polish journalists, who want their professional experience, skills and energy to be passed to the younger generation of reporters from Poland and other countries of Eastern Europe.

Where the idea of the foundation comes from? At first from the beliefs that the quality of the democracy depends on the information exchange. Secondly by conviction that as people knowing the ins and outs of the reporting we can cause this exchange to be possible.

Why should we support journalism in the Ukraine or Belarus?

Because we desire good journalism. An ability to catch from the information chaos a true and honest information and an ability to look at the hands of every power - administration, clerks or business.

Because in the globalised world we need an honest information, getting of which is going  beyond  strength  of  single  journalists  today.  Political  decisions are  made today beyond borders. The business and the trade for ages disregard borders. The cooperation with journalists from other countries cannot be for us, in Poland, unattainable flamboyance.

So we, the people of the Foundation, "fat cats" of journalism, are using everything what a Polish democracy is giving to us, we think that we should and have to support a new generation of reporters and independent journalists in Eastern Europe. These who have a good idea of a material "over borders", an idea of a cross-border research. To tell the stories, which we would like to listen to or to read. The best projects that inform the public opinion about significant matters.

Exchange of information and experience, contact with other journalists, is for us a step towards quality, exploring new methods of obtaining information, create a journalistic network. We want to nurture journalism that is not based on news, which already exists. We want to find information that does not escape the light of day without the intervention of journalists. W want to print documented stories. We want to be skeptical of the Public Relations fog over information. We want to give voice to journalists.

Therefore we would like together with the Foreign Ministry and the IPA introduce the Eastern Partnership Journalistic Prize.

We would be very grateful if you could distribute this announcement to everyone who might be interested in entering this contest.

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• More information in English and Russian